The Fine Arts Department say that they have arrested three people who were found with 11 metal scanners in their possession and 970 illegal artefacts.
According to authorities, over the past few years, there has been a spate of robbery at archeological sites across Northern Thailand, from Sukhothai to Lampang, Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. Gangs of robbers, say authorities, purchase metal detectors and go to far flung archeological sites, many unattended sites in the jungles and national parks, digging up and selling off priceless artefacts.
The three will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law but authorities fear that there are simply not enough Fine Arts Department personnel to man and monitor these sites.
